Species identification of modern and archaeological shark and ray skeletal tissues using collagen peptide mass fingerprinting

IntroductionElasmobranchs, such as sharks and rays, are among the world’s most endangered vertebrates, with over 70% loss in abundance over the past 50 years due to human impacts. Zooarchaeological baselines of elasmobranch diversity, distribution, and exploitation hold great promise for contributin...

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Main Authors: Michael Buckley, Ellie-May Oldfield, Cristina Oliveira, Clara Boulanger, Andrew C. Kitchener, Nicole R. Fuller, Traci Ardren, Victor D. Thompson, Scott M. Fitzpatrick, Michelle J. LeFebvre
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-11-01
Series:Frontiers in Marine Science
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1500595/full
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author Michael Buckley
Ellie-May Oldfield
Cristina Oliveira
Clara Boulanger
Clara Boulanger
Andrew C. Kitchener
Andrew C. Kitchener
Nicole R. Fuller
Traci Ardren
Victor D. Thompson
Scott M. Fitzpatrick
Michelle J. LeFebvre
author_facet Michael Buckley
Ellie-May Oldfield
Cristina Oliveira
Clara Boulanger
Clara Boulanger
Andrew C. Kitchener
Andrew C. Kitchener
Nicole R. Fuller
Traci Ardren
Victor D. Thompson
Scott M. Fitzpatrick
Michelle J. LeFebvre
author_sort Michael Buckley
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionElasmobranchs, such as sharks and rays, are among the world’s most endangered vertebrates, with over 70% loss in abundance over the past 50 years due to human impacts. Zooarchaeological baselines of elasmobranch diversity, distribution, and exploitation hold great promise for contributing essential historical contexts in the assessment of contemporary patterns in their taxonomic diversity and vulnerability to human-caused extinction. Yet, the historical ecology of elasmobranchs receives relatively less archaeological attention compared to that of ray-finned fishes or marine mammals, largely due to issues of taxonomic resolution across zooarchaeological identifications.MethodsWe explore the use of Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) for species identification in this unstudied group, using an archaeological case study from the marine environments of the Florida Keys, a marine biodiversity hotspot that is home to an array of elasmobranch species and conservation efforts. By comparison with 39 modern reference species, we could distinguish 12 taxa within the zooarchaeological assemblage from the Clupper archaeological site (Upper Matecumbe Key) that included nine sharks, two rays and a sawfish.Results and discussionThe results indicate that, through additional complexity of the collagen peptide mass fingerprint, obtained due to the presence of the cartilaginous type II collagen, ZooMS collagen peptide mass fingerprinting provides exceptionally high taxonomic resolution in this group, yielding species-level identifications in all cases where sufficient reference material was used. This case study also highlights the added value of ZooMS for taxa that are more difficult to distinguish in zooarchaeological analyses, such as vertebrae of the Atlantic sharpnose shark (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) and the hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna spp.) in the Florida Keys. Therefore, the application of collagen peptide mass fingerprinting to elasmobranchs offers great potential to improve our understanding of their archaeological past and historical ecology.
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spelling doaj-art-dfb25e23c06d4178864206ecbcd420442025-08-20T02:07:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452024-11-011110.3389/fmars.2024.15005951500595Species identification of modern and archaeological shark and ray skeletal tissues using collagen peptide mass fingerprintingMichael Buckley0Ellie-May Oldfield1Cristina Oliveira2Clara Boulanger3Clara Boulanger4Andrew C. Kitchener5Andrew C. Kitchener6Nicole R. Fuller7Traci Ardren8Victor D. Thompson9Scott M. Fitzpatrick10Michelle J. LeFebvre11School of Natural Sciences, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United KingdomSchool of Natural Sciences, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester, United KingdomFlorida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United StatesInstitute of Archaeology, University College London, London, United KingdomUMR 7194 Histoire Naturelle de l’Homme Préhistorique, Département Homme et Environnement, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, FranceDepartment of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh, United KingdomSchool of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomFlorida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United StatesDepartment of Anthropology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United StatesGeorgia Museum of Natural History and Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United StatesDepartment of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United StatesFlorida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United StatesIntroductionElasmobranchs, such as sharks and rays, are among the world’s most endangered vertebrates, with over 70% loss in abundance over the past 50 years due to human impacts. Zooarchaeological baselines of elasmobranch diversity, distribution, and exploitation hold great promise for contributing essential historical contexts in the assessment of contemporary patterns in their taxonomic diversity and vulnerability to human-caused extinction. Yet, the historical ecology of elasmobranchs receives relatively less archaeological attention compared to that of ray-finned fishes or marine mammals, largely due to issues of taxonomic resolution across zooarchaeological identifications.MethodsWe explore the use of Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) for species identification in this unstudied group, using an archaeological case study from the marine environments of the Florida Keys, a marine biodiversity hotspot that is home to an array of elasmobranch species and conservation efforts. By comparison with 39 modern reference species, we could distinguish 12 taxa within the zooarchaeological assemblage from the Clupper archaeological site (Upper Matecumbe Key) that included nine sharks, two rays and a sawfish.Results and discussionThe results indicate that, through additional complexity of the collagen peptide mass fingerprint, obtained due to the presence of the cartilaginous type II collagen, ZooMS collagen peptide mass fingerprinting provides exceptionally high taxonomic resolution in this group, yielding species-level identifications in all cases where sufficient reference material was used. This case study also highlights the added value of ZooMS for taxa that are more difficult to distinguish in zooarchaeological analyses, such as vertebrae of the Atlantic sharpnose shark (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) and the hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna spp.) in the Florida Keys. Therefore, the application of collagen peptide mass fingerprinting to elasmobranchs offers great potential to improve our understanding of their archaeological past and historical ecology.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1500595/fullcollagenscartilageZooMSspecies identificationFlorida Keysproteomics
spellingShingle Michael Buckley
Ellie-May Oldfield
Cristina Oliveira
Clara Boulanger
Clara Boulanger
Andrew C. Kitchener
Andrew C. Kitchener
Nicole R. Fuller
Traci Ardren
Victor D. Thompson
Scott M. Fitzpatrick
Michelle J. LeFebvre
Species identification of modern and archaeological shark and ray skeletal tissues using collagen peptide mass fingerprinting
Frontiers in Marine Science
collagens
cartilage
ZooMS
species identification
Florida Keys
proteomics
title Species identification of modern and archaeological shark and ray skeletal tissues using collagen peptide mass fingerprinting
title_full Species identification of modern and archaeological shark and ray skeletal tissues using collagen peptide mass fingerprinting
title_fullStr Species identification of modern and archaeological shark and ray skeletal tissues using collagen peptide mass fingerprinting
title_full_unstemmed Species identification of modern and archaeological shark and ray skeletal tissues using collagen peptide mass fingerprinting
title_short Species identification of modern and archaeological shark and ray skeletal tissues using collagen peptide mass fingerprinting
title_sort species identification of modern and archaeological shark and ray skeletal tissues using collagen peptide mass fingerprinting
topic collagens
cartilage
ZooMS
species identification
Florida Keys
proteomics
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1500595/full
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